The challenges of painting portraits!..."Does an apple move? (1a)..ref .
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| Part of image J&M watercolour by yf 2019 is it in the eyes?! |
"Nothing in a portrait is a matter of indifference. Gesture, grimace, clothing, decor even – all must combine to realize a character." Charles Baudelaire) ref (5)
Over the lasts I few months I have focused on re-exploring portraiture techniques.Human portraiture in particular has to be one of the most thrilling,absorbing and creative endeavours: Whilst at the same time, is an utterly challenging experience!. Portrait painting is a theme I love to revisit. Here are a few recent works in progress and some images from over the last couple of years...Trying to capture the overall essence of a person is aptly summed up in the humorous quotations found below ( :
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| J&M watercolour 2019 y forster |
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| working on part of a portrait yf acrylic paint endeavoring to capture emotion |
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| Ears are a tricky part constant reworking on these ......its a work in progress, yf 2019 |
focus on eye structure, effect of
light and shadow yf
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| mixing acrylic paints - colours used for skintones yf photo images by S.Shawe.
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Acrylic paints working on capturing a reflective casual pose /environment / space |
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| Veiled Resistance, charcoal yf 2015, capturing an intense situation arms reaching upwards... the veiled figure |
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| Traveller on a Train drawing yf contemplation |
Some view points by well known artists, reveal the dilemmas faced when artworks finally reach their completion...( :
" When I painted his portrait and offered it to him, he glanced at the canvas, then, looking at himself in the mirror, thought a moment and said: Well, no! Keep it!" (Marc Chagall)(2)
To the art dealer Ambroise Vollard who changed his pose during the sitting...
You wretch! You've spoiled the pose. Do I have to tell you again you must sit like an apple? Does an apple move? (Paul Cezanne)(1b)
after a 115 sittings of a painting of, A. Vollard, Cezanne said "I am not all together displeased with the shirt front" !(1c)
A portrait, to be a work of art, neither must nor may resemble the sitter... one must paint its atmosphere. (Umberto Boccioni)(3)
A final apt artists response... "Painting someones portrait is, of course, an impossible task. What an absurd idea to try and distill a human being, the most complex organism on the planet, into flicks, washes, and blobs of paint on a two-dimensional surface. (David Cobley)(4) please find refs below...( :
Ref for (5) www.quotefancey
Ref (1a) (1b) (1c ) (2) (3)(4) http://www.art-quotes.com/getquotes.php?catid=234#.XMBIaOhKjIU
